US Embassy honors Lebanese women in judiciary and security

On International Women’s Day, the US Embassy to Lebanon held a reception for the ‘honoring of Lebanese women in the judiciary and security’. The event which aims to shed light on the positive contribution of women in Lebanon in the areas of security and the law, was attended by US Ambassador Elizabeth Richard, the minister of interior, Nuhad Mashnuk and the minister of state for women’s affairs, Jean Ogassapian, in addition to Internal Security Forces ISF members and representatives of involved international organizations. Richard pointed out, on the occasion, that “diversity in any institution strengthens it and promotes better performance.” The resilience of any society is measured not through its democratic component or material wealth, but rather “through the way it treats its women constituents,” Richard maintained. While the Lebanese civil strife has impeded and discouraged the enlisting of women in ISF, Richard said, yet the security apparatus has taken a bold step in 2012 by recruiting 90 females in its service, she added. Creativity is not an issue in the country, she maintained, and distinguished human resources are copious, especially among women, Richard expounded. For his part, Mashnuk hailed the role of women as a cornerstone in the foundation and advancement of society amidst a world gushing with the “macho model in the military in the East and West.” He stressed that while the number of women in the Cabinet and Parliament is not outstanding, you can find them everywhere in the security sectors” Mashnuk boasted. (Al Mustaqbal, March 15, 2017)